When athletes are closest to their goals, that's usually when they tend to throw in the towel; this, according Bahamian Olympic gold medalist Chris "The Fireman" Brown. He admonished athletes of Limitless Athletics Track Club of Exuma to stay motivated and never give up. Brown encouraged the 16-member team that traveled from Exuma to compete at the 12th Annual Club Monica Track and Field Classic in New Providence on February 20 and 21, to "put God first and keep Him there."

He further said, "Keep fighting. Anything in life worth having is worth fighting for."

More motivation and sound advice was given to the team by Andretti Bain, Olympic silver medalist for The Bahamas as a member of the country's 4x400 meters (m) relay team in 2008. The team paid Bain a visit at his vitamin and supplements store on Farrington Road where they had an opportunity to ask questions about training and performance. They held the Olympian's silver medal and were told that someday they would have their own Olympic medal if they train hard and stay persistent.

"Stay confident, knowing that you put in the work. You've trained hard so you know that you can do this," Bain said. He urged the athletes to take advantage of the training made available to them through their coach Kenroy Woolery. Saying that "losing" is a part of competing, Bain told the youngsters not to get discouraged by what they place in races, but be confident once they would have given their best performances, and to "put it all on the track."

He also encouraged the team to complement their training regimen with healthy eating habits and rest.

"You have to be a well-oiled machine; take care of your bodies, eat right and get your rest," he said. "You are the future CARIFTA athletes and future Olympians, but you have to believe it."

Bain told the team that he will continue to support them by networking with Woolery. Woolery continued to encourage the athletes to stay motivated.

"The national athletes who you admire now were not always dropping these fast times. It took a lot of work to get there," he said. He told the athletes to take advantage of the opportunities of meeting Olympians like Bain and Brown by asking as much questions and learning from their journey.

The team was made up of a combination of athletes from Great Exuma and Black Point, Exuma. For some, it was their first time competing. The coach's vision is to cultivate national qualifying athletes and provide an avenue for athletes to attain athletic scholarships for tertiary level education. Team Limitless took home one gold medal and two bronze medals from the Club Monica classic.

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